“Too much wine, sugar,” she murmured as she pulled off her glasses that were now too fogged to see through. “This is why you don’t normally drink.”
Although hallucinating after only two goblets of wine was mighty strange.
Lightning flashed in the picture again and Annie jumped. In the brief illumination she saw the magnolia bloom—only this time a man was holding it.
A man. In the picture. Looking directly at her.
He moved closer so that he filled the scene and she could hardly see anything around him. Wind tugged at his black hair and clothing which were soaked from the rain. He was dressed in an equally black shirt and pants, but he was too close for her to be able to see what he wore on his feet. His eyes were black, too. Dark and haunting.
The man held his free hand out to her, and she took an automatic step back.
“Come, Annie,” he said in a deep, husky voice that caused a thrill to zip from her belly to her pussy. “It is time.”
Chapter Two
A peculiar sensation swept over Annie. It was the most surreal moment of her life and she couldn’t help but wonder if perhaps she was dreaming. No way had her painting come alive, and no way was a man holding out his hand to her and telling her to come with him.
Thunder boomed and Abra gave a loud, “Yerowl,” from her hiding place.
“Come, Annie.” The sexy timbre of his voice and the sound of his unusual accent caused a sensual shiver to trail down her spine. “The path will soon close.”
Path. The path will soon close.
“Alice and Alexi.” Annie clenched her hand around her glasses as she spoke to the man in the picture. “You know them?”
He gave a slow nod. “They are in Tarok.”
Annie took a deep breath. This was bizarre enough that it could really be happening.
That or she’d passed out on her living room floor and was dreaming it all.
“Now, Annie.” His voice had a harder edge to it, a dominating command that brought her to attention immediately.
His voice was so compelling that she found herself stepping forward. She put her hand up to the painting to touch it, and her hand went into it. Not through the canvas, but into the scene. She immediately felt rain upon her wrist and the back of her hand. Cold air blasted against her skin, air that smelled of salt and brine from the ocean, mingling with the rain.
She started to withdraw when the man reached out of the painting and grabbed her by the shoulders.
Annie cried out in shock and surprise and instinctively tried to wrench herself free. But the man was far too strong. He pulled her forward, into the painting, dragging her into the canvas’s frame.
A strange sensation whooshed over her, as if she were being pulled through a giant bowl of cake batter. For a moment everything went dark and she felt like she was floundering in a black hole filled with that same gooey batter.
In the next instant her feet touched wet ground, mud and grass squishing between her bare toes. She found herself held tight in the man’s steel embrace, her arms trapped between his body and hers. He was huge, a good eight inches taller than her five foot nine and his muscular frame made her size 16 body suddenly feel little.
She’d never felt petite in all her life until now. It was strangely exciting and frightening all at once to find herself small and helpless in a man’s arms.
Rain pummeled their bodies but Annie barely noticed as the man’s intense black gaze captured hers. A flare of recognition and desire sparked in his eyes, and then it was gone as if buried deep within the black depths.
“Do I need to guard my bollocks with you?” He studied her features as he spoke then answered his own question. “I think not. You are unlike Darronn’s Alexi, the tigress. You seem more like…a kitten.”
“My claws can be sharp,” Annie responded, her southern accent growing stronger as she tried to withdraw from his grasp, but it was hopeless. She might as well have been struggling to climb out of a straightjacket. “Where are Alexi and Alice? What have y’all done with my cousins?”
Lightning illuminated the landscape followed by the bellow of thunder. Hair rose on the back of Annie’s neck. The smell of ozone mingled with fresh rain and the dank smell of the moors.
The man scooped Annie up and into his arms so fast that her world spun and she gasped in surprise. Automatically she grabbed onto his neck to keep him from dropping her.
“Wait!” She cast a glance over his shoulder as he strode toward the mansion. Like a window to her living room she saw a rectangle cut into the sky. Through it she saw her overstuffed chair, one of her paintings on the wall, and her cat clock. Abra jumped onto the armchair, put one paw up to the rectangle, gave a loud, “Yerowl!” and bared her teeth.
Panic gripped Annie. She couldn’t leave Abra, and she couldn’t leave without writing a note to Awai.
She clenched her glasses tighter in her hand as she looked up at the dark, powerful man carrying her. “I need to get Abra, my cat—” Another lightning bolt struck and the crash of thunder was even closer, cutting off her words. The man’s strides grew even wider, bringing them closer to the mansion. “And I have to leave a note for my aunt,” she said, talking now over the keening winds. “Awai will freak if I disappear, too.”
“It is too late,” he said as he jogged up massive stone steps to the mansion. “You will not be able to return until a new path opens.”
She looked back and her heart sunk to her bare muddy toes.
The window to her living room was gone.
Her heart pounded. What would happen to Abra? Then she remembered that Awai was coming over in the morning. She had a key to the apartment and she would make sure Abra was taken care of.
Karn shoved aside the possessive feelings the maiden inspired in him as he opened the manse doors with his magic. After he strode into the foyer, he used his powers to shut the doors, slamming them closed and causing the sound to reverberate through his mansion.
Carefully he set his nearly drowned kitten on her muddy feet on the flagstone floor and grasped her by her upper arms to hold her steady. Raindrops rolled from her wet hair, over her cheeks and from the tip of her nose. Wide, warm brown eyes stared up at him, expressive eyes filled with a mixture of fear, confusion, and desire. Her lips parted as if she asked for his kiss.
Moors and skies but he wanted this woman.
His grip on her tightened as he studied her in a slow and deliberate perusal from her face and resting on her chest. His cock grew tighter against his breeches as he saw that her white tunic was drenched. The dark circles of her nipples were clearly outlined against the wet fabric.
Waiting for his lips, his mouth, his teeth.
When his eyes met Annie’s, she was biting her lower lip and her cheeks were red.
“You are a beauty,” he murmured without intending to.
Her cheeks flamed brighter yet. “I…ah…I need to know what’s going on.”
“You are mine. That is all you need to know.” He drew her flush against him and captured her mouth with his.
Annie gasped against his lips, allowing him to dart his tongue inside. He took possession of her, claiming what rightfully belonged to him and only him. A moan escaped his kitten and then he swore she purred into his mouth. Her tongue flicked tentatively against his, as if uncertain, perhaps timid.
Could his mate be inexperienced in the ways of men?
The mere thought was both heady and intoxicating, and nearly caused him to roar.
All thought had fled Annie’s mind. There was no longer past or future, just now. Her head spun and her body tingled from head to nipples to toes. She’d only experienced a few clumsy kisses before, and nothing had prepared her for this. Was the room supposed to whirl and was she supposed to feel like her knees were going to give out, as if she was drunk?
His tongue tangled with hers and she followed his lead. It felt incredible to have him inside her, and even though she didn’t know him, she wanted him.
&
nbsp; Oh, my heavens, did she want him.
A rumble rose up in the man’s chest and she would have sworn it was the purr of a tiger or lion. Her pussy and nipples ached and her entire body was on fire.
When he broke the kiss and pulled just inches away, he stared at her with an expression of surprise, maybe even amazement. Had he felt what she had? A crazy insane lust that made her want to slide between the sheets with this man.
Better yet, she’d like to go at it right here, right now.
“I don’t even know your name,” she whispered.
“Karn.” It came out almost harsh, and his eyes were once again barren of emotion.
Annie tried to pull away but he still held tight. So tight that her arms had gone numb. “You’re hurting me, Karn,” she managed to say. “Think you could let up a bit?”
“My apologies, kitten.” He released her and let his hands fall to his sides. “Welcome to Diamond Hall, your new home.”
Annie frowned at his statement, but she couldn’t help glancing around her as he gestured to their surroundings. She’d been so mesmerized by Karn that she hadn’t taken the time to look around her. The mansion was stately and elegant, but dark and depressing as hell. She was in a mammoth-sized entryway looking into an enormous room. Stairs made of carved dark wood like mahogany curved at either side, rising up to the floor above. Around her was elegant furniture in the same dark wood, and everything cushioned in sapphire blue. Heavy blue velvet drapes shrouded every window. Between the stairs was a set of closed double doors, and to either side of her were more doors, all closed tight.
It smelled of burning candles, sandalwood and a hint of roses. Outside the storm roared on but it was muffled now.
Annie folded her arms across her breasts as her gaze returned to meet Karn’s. She tried to keep her teeth from chattering, but she was cold, wet, muddy, confused, and heaven help her, but this dark and mysterious man turned her on.
“Forgetting your manners, your Highness?” someone said in a small, high-pitched voice, causing Annie to jerk her attention toward a tiny woman. Annie blinked—she could almost swear she saw sparkles all around her. As if floating on air, the three foot tall woman approached them. Her green skirt reached the floor, long enough to cover her feet and trail over the mottled gray flagstones.
Where had she come from? All the doors were still closed.
The elderly woman wiped her hands on a flour coated blue apron. Her cheeks were full and pale, her eyes like bright blue buttons against the whiteness of her skin. She was short and squat and Annie had the strange image of one of those toys she’d played with as a child. The ones that wobbled but never fell down.
“For shame, your Highness.” The woman gave a sniff in Karn’s direction when she reached them, then turned her attention toward Annie. “A drowned cat you be, Mistress. A King should know better. Come with Beya and I will see to your bath.”
Annie’s jaw dropped. Karn is a King?
“I will escort Annie to her chambers, Beya.” Karn’s baritone caused Annie’s pulse to race. “Please see to it the servants draw her bath and leave.”
Beya sniffed again. “At once, Sire.” She gave a curt bow and turned, her skirt swirling over the floor. And then she vanished—only a few sparkles remained where she had been only moments before.
Annie gasped and shot her gaze back to Karn’s. “Where’d she go?”
He raised an eyebrow. “To see to my instructions.”
Annie flipped her braid over her shoulder and frowned. “That isn’t what I meant.”
Karn took a step toward the staircase. “Follow me.”
“I’m not following you anywhere.” Annie put her hands on her full hips and glared at him. “I want to see my cousins and I’d like to see them now.”
His jaw tightened and his nostrils flared as he came back to stand mere inches from her. “You will see them when I believe you are ready.”
Ooooh! Now he had her good and riled.
“I don’t know who the hell you think you are, mister, but I’ve had enough.” Her southern accent grew stronger and she was talking fast like she always did when she was angry. “I want to see Alice and Alexi right this minute.”
Karn scowled so fiercely that she almost stepped back. He gave a growl and grasped her around the waist. Her world spun and she shrieked as he flung her over his shoulder and marched toward the stairs.
Heat flushed throughout Annie, but she was too stunned to know what to do next. Her wet T-shirt fell up to her neck and her bare breasts were rubbing against his leather shirt, and her braid flopped over her head. She was still gripping her glasses with one hand and was trying to pull her shirt back to her waist without a lot of luck.
While he climbed the stairs her thoughts raced, imagining every horror her mind could come up with. What if he was some madman and he was going to lock her away? Worse yet, what if he intended to kill her? What if he had hurt Alice and Alexi, or maybe killed them?
But her gut told her this powerful man wasn’t that kind of dangerous. He was some kind of dangerous, but not that kind.
More like he was perilous to her libido…although she couldn’t find anything wrong with the thought of enjoying this man in bed. Just the mere image made her pussy ache in a way she’d never experienced before.
After he reached the top of the stairs, Karn headed down a dark hall lit by sconces fastened along the walls. The walls were paneled in the same dark mahogany the downstairs furniture was made from.
All the blood had rushed to Annie’s head but she still had the presence of mind to admire the flex of his muscular ass beneath his leather breeches while the earthy, virile scent of him surrounded her.
He carried her through a door and into a beautiful room. Draped over his shoulder the way she was, she only caught a glimpse of it but it seemed much more feminine than the rest of the house with rose velvet cushions, lots of flowers, a full-length mirror, and a hearth with a fire crackling. The fire, along with the soft glow of candlelight gave the room warmth, yet it was still somehow dark and oppressive, as though it needed something or someone to give it life.
Karn strode through another set of doors then slid her from his shoulder and set her on her feet on the surprisingly warm flagstone floor. For a moment Annie clung to him while she regained her balance, and studied her surroundings.
He had carried her into a bathroom of sorts. The huge room was made of dark stone, the centerpiece being a pool built into a corner.
A small waterfall tumbled from a corner and greenery filled the room. Palms, vines, and other exotic plants obscured the ceiling and a good portion of the walls, making it feel more like a jungle hideaway than a bathroom. Steam rose from the pool’s surface, bringing the perfume of orchids to her nose. The water looked incredibly warm and inviting, especially since she was freezing cold, not to mention mussed and muddy.
How had they drawn the bath so quickly?
Magic.
Nah. Couldn’t be.
“Remove your clothes,” Karn said and her attention immediately snapped to him.
Annie stepped back, her cheeks burning. “Beg your pardon?”
The man advanced on her. “If you do not, I will remove them for you.”
Her jaw dropped and she knew she had to be ten shades of red. “You wouldn’t.”
Karn cocked a brow. “Indeed.”
He would.
Crap.
Annie’s whole body caught fire with embarrassment. “Well, turn your back then.”
His brow raised a notch higher.
“Please?” The word came out in a tortured whisper because for the first time in her adult life she was about to undress in front of a man, and it scared the hell out of her.
Karn studied her for a moment, then folded his arms across his chest and turned his back to her.
Annie never undressed so fast in her life. She was worried he’d turn back around and see her before she got into the water, and she wasn’t taking any chances. N
ot only was this the first time she was taking her clothing off around a man, she was self-conscious about her full-figure. She set her glasses down on a rock shelf, flung off her T-shirt, shimmied out of her jeans, and practically bolted into the pool.
When Annie was sitting on a rock bench, slumped so that she was up to her neck in the warm water, she held her knees tightly together, folded her arms across her chest then said, “Okay, I’m in. Will you go now so that I can take my bath in peace?”
Karn turned back to her and studied her long enough that she began to tremble beneath his gaze.
Then, with a wave of his hand, his clothing vanished.
As in disappeared like magic.
As in he was standing completely naked before her.
Annie’s jaw hit the water. Oh, heavens above but the man was gorgeous from his ebony eyes to his dark brown hair, powerful arms…narrow hips…even the scars across his muscled chest made him even more exciting, dangerous even.
And oh, my God…Karn’s cock was so thick and so big she was sure it would be considered a lethal weapon in all fifty states.
And then Karn was walking across the room, straight toward the sunken pool, straight toward her.
Chapter Three
The mixture of emotion in Annie’s expression told Karn how innocent his kitten truly was. His senses told him without a doubt that she had never been with a man before. Amazement, surprise, terror, and definitely desire flashed in her expressive eyes as she stared at his erection. He had sensed that desire the moment he had allowed her to see him through the path opening, and had felt her need in her kiss.
Well and good. If I must have a bride, better that she enjoy me.
Candleflame flickered, casting warm light over the pool and his mate. He scented the air and with his keen senses caught the essence of her arousal blending with the vanilla musk of her skin and the orchid perfume his servants had put in the bath water.
Yes, his beautiful kitten’s desire matched his equally.
Brown eyes wide, Annie pressed back against the bathing pool’s rock wall, her arms folded across her luscious breasts. “W-what are you doing?”
Wonderland: King of Diamonds Page 3
